


A Bad Prank

by BubblyShip



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Bad Decisions, Bad Pranks, Brotherly Love, Claustrophobia, Going too far, One Shot, Pranks, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Short One Shot, bad friend, claustrophobic sans, fontcest if you squint, fontcest if you want or not, papyrus feels awful, papyrus loses a friend, undyne is a terrible friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:21:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24448789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubblyShip/pseuds/BubblyShip
Summary: Pranks are fun little things friends can do to friends and family. Papyrus knew this. Sans pranked him a lot, sometimes switching things in the kitchen, or placing every chair upside down. Small, fun pranks. While annoying, they never caused any harm.One day, when Undyne came over, she suggests a spur of the moment prank, knowing full well Sans is claustrophobic.Papyrus realizes Undyne is a bad friend, and Sans has a bad time.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 84





	A Bad Prank

“You know what would be funny?”

Sans was asleep in the living room. Undyne had noticed the moment she stepped in, much like she noticed the stench of the inedible spaghetti Papyrus had tried to prepare. To say it was a failure was an understatement. A new stove was needed now.

“What?”

Undyne leaned in, blue scales pressed against the table. “If we prank Sans. Get him back for his dumb pranks he’s done on you.”

That was an idea Papyrus was open to listening to. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought of it before, he simply never had the chance to act on it. Today seemed to be the perfect day to finally get back and give Sans a taste of his own medicine.

“That sounds amazing!” Papyrus said, “He’s been getting away with too many pranks! Like how he switched the milk top for a ketchup container top! I had to squirt out milk for a week, it was terrible!”

“Yeah, punk, we gotta prank him back!” Undyne said, sharp fingers digging into the wood. “Got any ideas?”

“Why don’t we soak all of his socks in water then freeze them outside?” Papyrus asked, “I know how it is to wear frozen clothes, and it’ll force him to do laundry for once!”

“What?” Undyne asked, almost repulsed by his response. “No, that’s wimpy! We gotta hit him hard, make the punk regret ever pranking you! One giant prank to trump them all!”

“Yes!” Papyrus felt excited, soul humming happily. “What do we do?”

“Well…”

Undyne snickered, red hair bouncing as she turned curtly towards their walk in pantry in the corner of the kitchen. Sans never went in. They both knew this.

“Let’s put him in there, let him wake up and freak out.”

The excitement that Papyrus was feeling previously bubbled down, the high flattening after Undyne gave her idea. A glance towards the walk in pantry was taken by the tall skeleton before he looked back at his friend.

Sans was claustrophobic. It was a fact well known, and rather obvious. One of the very few reasons Sans even continued to work as a sentry was because he got to move around outside, he didn’t like to be forced into cramped positions.

The fear stemmed from a childhood issue including their Father, a detail Papyrus and Sans would rather not discuss with her. Undyne didn’t know about what their Father did to them in their younger years, but she was warned about Sans’ fear of closed spaces with no escape. It was why he never used elevators, he once broke down crying inside of one when he thought it got stuck between floors. Sans wasn’t very fond of being trapped in enclosed spaces. Undyne knew this, they told her.

So why was this a suggestion?

“Aw, come on, don’t be a wimp!” Undyne said, punching his shoulder. “We’ll let him out eventually! And he has to learn not to make dumb pranks, doesn’t he? He’ll be fine!”

Papyrus gingerly rubbed his now aching arm where she just hit. “Are you sure? You know Sans hates being trapped, I think this might be going too far.”

“Of course not!” Undyne insisted, grabbing his shoulders. “He’s a total wimp, this’ll get him to toughen up! Not to mention how revenge is in order, giving him a little scare is what will set him straight. It’s just a prank, he’ll be fine.”

Papyrus was never home whenever Sans got punished. While he went to school, their Dad would lock Sans away into a closet, leaving him there for hours. He would always be out by the time Papyrus got back, shivering on the couch. Papyrus understood where the fear came from, but he never witnessed it in action. Maybe Sans grew out of it a bit now? It would just be a prank, and Sans’ pranks were always harmless.

Then again, he knew Papyrus was deathly afraid of heights, but never did try to prank him that way. Pranking someone with heights would be difficult, though.

Well, they’d let him out after giving him a fright, so surely it’d be fine.

“Okay,” Papyrus said, his will giving in. “But we let him out right after he wakes up, alright?”

“Duh!”

Papyrus missed the sneering grin Undyne gave him, looking at his brother. Sans slept ever so softly, trusting them to sleep around freely.

“C’mon, let’s go!”

They both moved to the couch, Undyne grabbing Sans under his arms and hoisting him up. Unease built within his brother as the fish monster carried him towards the closet, taking charge. She gave Papyrus no time to back out before she practically threw him against the ground, no doubt startling him out of his sleep before she locked it shut.

“W-Wait,” Papyrus said, “We should check to see if he’s hurt, you just dropped him-”

“He’s fine,” Undyne snorted out, giggling as she heard shuffling from inside the closet. “Wakie wakie Sans!”

It felt wrong. Papyrus nervously played with his scarf. The excitement she had brought to him earlier was completely gone now, instead replaced by a nervous fear that tingled across his soul. Sans would be okay, it was just a prank after all.

“I- Undyne?” Sans called out from the other side of the door, feet scurrying across the floor before knocking sounded. “What- I-”

“Rise and shine, punk! Let this be a lesson to not sleep on the job!” Undyne laughed, pounding on the door.

Not to sleep on the job? This was supposed to be a prank about Sans’ pranks, for innocent fun!

“Undyne, he’s awake now, let’s let him out,” Papyrus said, starting to walk towards the door.

Undyne thrusted out her arm, stilling Papyrus in his tracks. “There’s no fun in that! We just put him in there!”

“Papyrus, let me out!” Sans yelled, knocking on the door. “Please, please!”

He sounded frightened. Terrified. Papyrus felt terrible, looking over at his friend. Instead of letting him out, Undyne snorted at his pain, instead pressing her hand against the door.

“Look at him! He’s so scared just from being in there!” Undyne laughed.

“Undyne, p-please!” Sans choked, now full on banging against the door.

“Nope!” Undyne laughed.

“I think we should stop! We’re scaring him,” Papyrus said, trying to ease Undyne out of this.

“Don’t ruin the fun! It’s just a prank, he’s done this to you before,” Undyne said, grinning her sharp teeth.

And so, it continued for a few more minutes. At this point Sans was screaming and begging, nothing like Papyrus heard before. He felt awful, but Undyne continued to laugh. Did she even care? Or was she finding joy out of his torture?

Enough was called when Papyrus couldn’t bare to watch or listen, ignoring his friends yell of disapproval as he pushed her away, quickly opening the pantry door. Sans stumbled out quickly, tears glistening under the light that flooded into the dark and cramped space. Papyrus was down on the floor in an instant, quickly helping scoop up and cradle his now sobbing and shaking brother.

“Sans, oh my Toby Fox I’m so so so sorry!” Papyrus quickly said, grasping him into a hug.

“Papyrus, what the heck?” Undyne snarled, “I was just getting started!”

“Getting started?” Papyrus asked, “He was already crying and begging! It should have ended!”

“It was just a prank! You’re brother just needs to chill,” Undyne said, rolling her yellow eyes.

“He’s claustrophobic, Undyne!” Papyrus said, “You knew this!”

“Yeah, which was why I did it! He needs to learn to toughen up against pranks, he wasn’t even locked in there for ten minutes.” Undyne flicked her ponytail over her shoulder. “It was just a prank, alright? No need to get upset.”

Sans continued to cry onto Papyrus’ shoulder, unable to participate due to the fear that was ravaging his soul.

“I think it’d be best if you leave,” Papyrus said softly.

“I- What, really? Over a dumb _prank_?” Undyne asked, face twisting with annoyance.

“It wasn’t dumb! It was mean, it made Sans cry! I feel terrible for making him face his worst fear, and you should too!”

Undyne didn’t seem to care in the slightest, laying her hands on her hips. “Oh come on, he’s just overreacting. You shouldn’t kick me out over that, I’m your friend.”

“A friend that just made my brother cry and wouldn’t let him out when he begged you to.” Papyrus closed his eye sockets. “I don’t want someone like that to be my friend. Just go.”

With a snort, she did leave, giving one more snide comment about Sans overreacting before she slammed the front door. Papyrus winced, hearing the house clatter. She also knew their house was old and fragile, but continued to stomp around it anyway.

“P-Papyrus-” Sans choked out, hugging him tighter.

“I’m here, brother,” Papyrus whispered, “I’m sorry. Really sorry.”

And so, they stayed like that, curled up onto the kitchen floor as Sans cried.

It really was a bad prank. 


End file.
